Digital Life

I know I'm not the only one in the path of the Frankenstorm, as it's being called. And really, it's actually closer to the Perfect Storm, as it is very similar to the '91 storm of Hollywood fame. The main difference being that it's going to hit land instead of being off the coast. But, like Hurricane Grace, it is multiple systems colliding in a way that makes the weather difficult to predict. A hurricane coming up from the south, a nor'easter (so named because they travel in the opposite direction of normal storms, northeast instead of southwest) approaching from the west, and a cold front sweeping down from Canada. Rain, wind, snow, flooding, treepocalypse, no one can say for sure what'll happen. Power outages are expected to be widespread, obviously.

Many of my friends and coworkers (and myself, to an extent) admittedly treat the storm system like any other and look disdainfully on the people who started panicking as early as yesterday, scrambling to buy flashlights, batteries, water and stock up on food. There's a good reason for that, though. New England is known for highly unpredictable weather. Case in point, just about a week and a half ago there was an earthquake. Not just the faint tremors of a distant shifting in the earth, a legit, shaking, door- and window-rattling quake. First one I've felt here. Definitely not normal, given that we're nowhere near the edge of a tectonic plate and thus have no major fault lines. And now this.

Anyone who lives in an area like this shouldn't ever be panicking because it should be, in a word, routine. You know what I had to buy to prepare for this storm? Nothing. Because the emergency supplies the newscasters urge everyone to buy are all things I already own. In fact, you could say I go one step further. They say flashlights, I have a flashlight app on my phone and candles. Bottled water I have plenty of as a matter of course. Bread? Please. I can make my own. If we lose power we have a generator and although both stoves in the house are electric, my mom's woodstove has a cookplate. And yes, she has actually cooked meals on it. Pilgrim style!

My main concern? Making sure I have enough entertainment for if/when we do lose power. Two handheld consoles, a netbook, an ereader and my phone. That should hold me over for a few days at least. And before you ask, not only do I have an extended battery for my phone, I have the original as a (fail) backup and besides that, I have a full tank of gas in my car and a car charger, so if necessary I'll just drive around with it plugged in. Actually, my car is my main concern. I park in a driveway surrounded by a couple hundred trees. When the wind picks up I'll have to move my car to the other driveway. Just in case. But yeah.

So I guess basically what I'm saying is that the best emergency preparedness is to know your area and adapt as necessary. Also, expect the worst case scenario and prepare for that.